ENGL410: The Victorian Novel

Unit 1: Socio-historical Context: An Introduction to the Victorian
PeriodThe Victorian period coincides, of course, with the reign of Queen
Victoria. This age experienced, among other things, the rapid expansion
of the British Empire, the emergence of revolutionary forms of
technology and science, the birth of new theories concerning ideal
social relations, widespread industrialization, and the invention of a
new formation of the novel that would forever change the trajectory of
narrative: the Victorian novel. In this section of the course, we will
explore these and other related issues with the goal of arriving at a
global view of Victorianism, identifying its principal characteristics,
practitioners, and conventions.

Guiding Questions:

What were the complexities of class relations in Victorian England?

In what ways did industrialization cause class tension?

How did gender influence what kinds of work a person could do?

How did the novels of the time reflect these concerns in fiction?

Unit 1 Time Advisory
Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.

☐ Subunit 1.1: 1.5 hours

☐ Subunit 1.2: 7.5 hours

Unit1 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- provide an introduction and overview to the Victorian era and the
Victorian novel;
- explain and define “Victorianism” and its social-historical context;
- explain and describe the major conventions of the Victorian novel;
- identify the major forms of the Victorian novel;
- discuss the problems of gender, class and empire reflected in the
Victorian Novel; and
- identify the ways in which scientific discovery and political
thought influenced the Victorian Novel.

1.1 Introduction to Victorianism: Life, Work, and Vision of England
- Reading: The Official Website of The British Monarchy: “Queen
Victoria”
Link: The Official Website of The British Monarchy: “Queen
Victoria”
(HTML)

Instructions: Read this brief passage about the life, work, and the
times of Queen Victoria.
Reading this passage and taking notes should take approximately 20
minutes.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Read this article.
Reading this text and taking notes should take approximately 10
minutes.
Terms of Use: Permission has been granted by [The Victorian
Web](http://www.victorianweb.org) for any scholarly or educational
purpose. The original version of this article can be found
[here](http://www.victorianweb.org/history/legistl.html).

Instructions: Read this text.
Reading this text and taking notes should take approximately 10
minutes.
Terms of Use: Permission has been granted by [The Victorian
Web](http://www.victorianweb.org) for any scholarly or educational
purpose. The original version of this article can be found
[here](http://www.victorianweb.org/history/work/1.html).

Instructions: Read Dr. Landow’s essay concerning the relationship
between Victorianism and cultural forms of the past.
Reading this text and taking notes should take you 5 minutes.
Terms of Use: Permission has been granted by [The Victorian
Web](http://www.victorianweb.org) for any scholarly or educational
purpose. The original version of this article can be found
[here](http://www.victorianweb.org/vn/abrams1.html).

Instructions: Read through to the end of “Conflicts over Women’s
Rights.”
Reading this text and taking notes should take you 3 hours.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a [Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/). It is
attributed to the authors who have requested to remain anonymous.

1.2.3 Introduction to the Working Classes
- Reading: The Victorian Web: Anthony S. Wohl’s “Mayhew's London
Labour and the London Poor”
Link: The Victorian Web: Anthony S. Wohl’s “Mayhew's London Labour
and the London
Poor” (HTML)

Instructions: Read the short description of Henry Mayhew,
Reading this text and taking notes should take you 5 minutes.
Terms of Use: Permission has been granted by [The Victorian
Web](http://www.victorianweb.org) for any scholarly or educational
purpose. The original version of this article can be found
[here](http://www.victorianweb.org/history/race/rc10.html).

Instructions: Read the brief introduction and then listen to the
author as he describes Mayhew, the city slums and more. Listen to
the first eight of the ten audio files.

This podcast and reading assignment should take you 20 minutes.

About the Link: Audio guide, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst of Magdalen
College, Oxford, who edited and selected this new edition,
introduces Henry Mayhew. Podularity.com allows authors to
communicate with readers through regular podcasts, interviews with
authors, author reading, reports from events and festivals.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyrights and terms of use
displayed on the webpages above.

Instructions: Scroll down to chapter four (IV) and read all of
chapters 4, 5 and 6. Pay special attention to the way Dickens
reveals the characters’ class position. Also note the way he
represents their spiritual state (who is kind and who is unkind in
Dickens’ world?)
Reading this text and taking notes should take you 1.5 hours.
Terms of Use: The article above is in the Public Domain.

Instructions: Spend a few minutes reflecting on the two novel
excerpts you have just read. How do the authors helps us to see the
divisions and conflicts between the classes? How are politics and
beliefs involved in these divisions? Then, share your thoughts on
the discussion forum by clicking the link above and creating a
(free) account, if you have not already done so. Read responses that
other students may have left and leave any comments you have on
their feedback as well.